Jackman took the stage with a host of glitter-clad backup dancers, and even carved time out of his performance to serenade wife Deborra-Lee Furness. He also paused for a fun photo op with the crowd, complete with Wolverine claws (of course!).

Hugh Jackman with wife Deborra-Lee Furness

Charley Gallay / Getty

The entire night raised funds for the Motion Picture & Television Fund through causes.com. The star’s birthday wish was for fans to donate $4500 to the organization, which provides affordable health care, financial services and retirement aid to those working in the film and television industries. (Want to help? You can donate here.) The evening itself garnered $1.85 million for the cause.

However, our favorite part of the night came in the form of Jackman’s special message for PEOPLE.com readers, tied to our recent YourTurn challenge where we asked you to submit fun photos of yourselves wishing the actor a Happy Birthday. Click below to hear what he had to say!

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For Hugh Jackman, being a blockbuster, A-list actor often earns him a “meh” at the very least from his two kids. Even with The Wolverine set to open this weekend, he says they resist the urge to act like his biggest fans.

“They’re not going to give that up to me. They’re not going to be like, ‘Yeah Dad, you’re the coolest!'” Jackman told PEOPLE Wednesday at The MOMS’ Mamarazzi event in New York City.

“My son actually saw the movie, and I asked him what he thought, and he begrudgingly goes, ‘Oh, awesome.'”

His son Oscar, 13, is especially having trouble adapting to dad’s spotlight, Jackman says, having been frequently photographed with sister Ava, 8, over the years.“He’s at that age where it can be embarrassing. He’s now like, ‘Can you please stop talking about me? This is killing my reputation,'” says Jackman. “He wants me to be his dad. He doesn’t like when we get stopped on the street or when people recognize me.”

But even though Jackman, 44, knows that doing more interviews will “get him in trouble,” he can’t help gushing about his children – like about what they want to be when they grow up.

Oscar’s going to be an artist, he says proudly, and Ava would be happy doing anything that involves “handling animals, cooking, singing and poetry.” They may not want to follow in dad’s footsteps as an actor, but that’s fine with him.

“That’s the great thing about parenting,” says Jackman, “You end up going places you never thought you’d go.”